With the NFL back in full swing, we thought it was only fitting that we have linebacker Devin Bush Jr as our Future Star Of The Week.
Devin Bush Jr
July 18, 1998 (age 21)
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Position: Linebacker
College: Michigan
Bush was born in 1998. He is the son of Devin Bush, who played at the safety position in the NFL from 1995 to 2002. Bush grew up in Pembroke Pines, Florida, where he attended Charles W. Flanagan High School.
In December 2015, Bush rejected a scholarship offer from Florida State, where his father played, and committed instead to play college football for the Michigan Wolverines football team. In February 2016, Michigan hired Bush’s father as a defensive analyst for the football coaching staff.
Bush enrolled at the University of Michigan in the fall of 2016. He appeared in all 13 games as a freshman for the 2016 Michigan Wolverines football team.
He earned a reputation as the hardest hitting player on the Michigan team.
During the 2017 season, Bush was tied for seventh in the conference with 94 stops, including 35 solo tackles. His 9.5 tackles for loss include 5.0 sacks. Following the 2017 season, Bush was named to the All-Big Ten defensive first-team by the coaches, and second-team by the media.
College Stats
Pre Draft Stats
Bush was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers 10th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Steelers originally acquired this selection in a trade with the Denver Broncos, trading their first round selection (20th), their 2019 second round selection, and 2020 third round pick to Denver.
Devin has shown elite range and instincts in the early parts of this season which could see him emerge as a Pro Bowl-caliber player during his rookie season which is why he is clearly our Future Star Of The Week.
With the Toyota AFL season only six weeks away, The Sporting Base would like to introduce to you the 2018 AFL number 1 draft pick and future star Sam Walsh.
Name: Sam Walsh
Age: Born 2 July 2000 (18 years old)
Sport: AFL
Height: 1.84m (6ft)
Weight: 77kg
Position: Midfielder
Drafted: Pick 1, 2018 National Draft
Walsh became Carlton’s fifth top draft pick
since 2005 in what has been earmarked as a potentially outstanding draft year.
Joining a struggling team that only managed two wins in the 2018 season, Walsh was
rapt to join the Blues. He plans to make an immediate impact in a side that hasn’t
played finals football since 2013.
Growing up a Brisbane Lions supporter, Walsh
was no stranger to watching the Blues with his father Wayne a Carlton faithful.
He has been playing for the Geelong Falcons and was happy to be remaining in
Melbourne. Walsh said after being drafted that he was surprised to be heading
to Carlton after receiving no real indication from the club. The exciting
youngster put together an outstanding performance in 2018, averaging 32
disposals at TAC Cup level and 29 possessions for Vic Country in the Under 18
Championships.
Walsh has been described as a smooth mover
with a strong running game. His ability to find the ball will bode well with
the Blues young midfield. He has been touted as a future leader and 250 game
player alongside new Carlton co-captain Patrick Cripps.
As part of our weekly segment, it’s time to fill you in on who we think is a future star and provide you with stats & videos. Please allow The Sporting Base to introduce Argentinian footballer, Emanuel Mammana
Name: Emanuel Mammana
Nationality: Argentinian
Club: FC Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russian Premier League)
D.O.B: 10 February 1996 (age 22)
Height: 1.84 m (6 ft 1?2 in)
Position: Centre Back
Emanuel Mammana is a sensational young talent, who at the tender age of 20 got into the national team.
So far, he’s played three international games but there’s a long path up ahead for him.
His spell at River Plate was a sumptuous one. After just 22 games for Los Milonarios, he became the finest outside the European continent.
He could have landed either in Liverpool or Arsenal as both the English clubs were keen to sign this particular asset.
He is tall and thus gets an aerial advantage. He is solid at the back which is convincing for such a tender player.
His greatest strengths on the pitch are passing and tackling. He is a player who likes to dribble, play short passes and tackle hard and has no significant weakness as a defender.
All in all, he is the kind of defensive-rock that every team long.
Club Career:
River Plate
Mammana made his debut for River Plate on 3 December, in the 2014 Copa Sudamericana Final 1st leg. He scored his first senior goal on 14 March 2016, in a 4-1 loss to Colón.
Olympique Lyon
On 7 July 2016, he signed a 5-year contract with French club Lyon. He scored his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw with Bordeaux.
Zenit Saint Petersburg
On 31 July 2017, he signed a 5-year contract with the Russian club FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. On 11 March 2018 in a game against FC Rostov he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and will be forced to miss 6 to 9 months of games, that time period will include the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
International career
Mammana played his first international game with the senior national team on 7 June 2014 in a 2–0 win against Slovenia coming on as a substitute for Javier Mascherano in the 77th minute.
As part of our weekly segment, it’s time to fill you in on who we think is a future star. Please allow The Sporting Base to introduce NFL Quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes.
Name: Patrick Mahomes II
Nationality: American
Club: Kansas City Chiefs
Position: Quarterback
Age: 23
Height: 6ft 3 in (191cm)
Weight: 230lbs (104kg)
Draft Year – 2017 / Round: 1 / Pick :10
2018 Season Stats
Appearances: 8
Touchdown Passes: 26
Interceptions: 6
Passing Yards: 2,526
Completion %: 65.6
QB Rating: 115.3
High School Years
Mahomes attended Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, Texas. He threw for 4,619 yards and 50 touchdowns and ran for 948 yards and 15 touchdowns in an impressive senior year. His father, Patrick Mahomes Sr. is a former professional baseball player, and during his high school days, Mahomes II was playing football, basketball and baseball – talented in all three sports. Thankfully for NFL fans, baseball and basketball came secondary to his growing love for football.
College Football
As a 3-star recruit, Mahomes committed to Texas Tech University. In his final college season, Mahomes threw for 5,052 yards, 41 TDs, and 10 Int and broke the NCAA single-game yards passing record and the single-game yards total offense record. If this wasn’t impressive enough, he also played as a relief pitcher for the Texas Tech baseball team.
Early in the NFL Draft process, the already record-breaking QB was being under-valued, largely because of perceived issues with decision-making and throwing mechanics. After an impressive NFL Combine, where he clocked the (tied) fastest pass ever recorded, he climbed draft boards and was considered by most to be a top-3 quarterback in the draft.
He was the second quarterback off the board when the Kansas City Chiefs selected him 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.
NFL Career
Mahomes red-shirted his rookie year, learning behind veteran quarterback, Alex Smith, until coach Andy Reid rested Smith in the final game of the 2017 season. Throwing for 284 yards and an interception, Mahomes was average, but he did help his team to a win.
B
In 2018, the Chiefs traded Alex Smith, making Mahomes the starter going forward. In his first start of the 2018 season, Mahomes defeated division rival LA Chargers, throwing for 256 yards, 4 TDs, and no interceptions. This impressive performance set the tone for the following seven games and the season thus far.
After 8 games this year, Mahomes has thrown for 2,526 yards, 26 TDs, and 6 Int, placing him in the thick of the MVP race – an incredible achievement for essentially a rookie (+1 game).
The Chiefs are also 7-1, sitting 1st in their division and 1st in the AFC.
What the future holds
Few people were expecting Mahomes to be so good, so early. But the league is, quite remarkably, accustomed to elite-level play by the young quarterback already.
Mahomes had another win and another strong performance this week, warranting a long-overdue mention as one our Stars of the Future.
Unlike many of the athletes we discuss in this segment, Mahomes has very few weaknesses. Even though in college he turned the ball over rarely, and could make every throw, for whatever reason, a lot of “analysts” attached to him some unfair labels: he doesn’t go through his reads, makes unnecessarily difficult throws, and has an unorthodox throwing style. The first criticism has proven to simply be untrue, and the latter two are just part of the show that makes the kid so special.
The only question now is, how good will he be? Only time will tell. But what we know is that the possibilities are endless. The arm talent is on par with some of the greatest to play the game; many have rightly compared him to Brett Favre and Aaron Rogers. He can make every throw. Pair that with an unexpectedly elite command of the offense pre and post snap, an above-average athleticism allowing him to weave in and out of the pocket at will, and a swagger that makes his teammates look toward the 23-year-old as capable of making any play at any time.
Mahomes is already a star, and so barring any severe regression, he will be a star of the future. But as they say – it’s easier to get to the top than it is to stay there.
